1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:04,600 Speaker 1: Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of iHeartRadio and Grimm 2 00:00:04,640 --> 00:00:10,560 Speaker 1: and Mild from Aaron Manky. Listener discretion advised the feast 3 00:00:10,880 --> 00:00:15,880 Speaker 1: was going to be extravagant. The year was thirteen twenty four, 4 00:00:16,239 --> 00:00:21,480 Speaker 1: and cousins Ramberto and Ferrantino and their uncle Pandolfo Malitesta 5 00:00:21,800 --> 00:00:26,320 Speaker 1: were making the final preparations for the meal at Romberto's estate, 6 00:00:26,720 --> 00:00:30,080 Speaker 1: a castle nestled in the rolling hills of what is 7 00:00:30,160 --> 00:00:34,360 Speaker 1: now the region of Emilia Romagna in Italy, then simply 8 00:00:34,400 --> 00:00:39,920 Speaker 1: called Romagna. Their sole invitee to this party their other 9 00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:44,760 Speaker 1: cousin slash nephew, Uberto, and he was making his way 10 00:00:44,880 --> 00:00:49,080 Speaker 1: toward the castle, blissfully unaware that he was riding to 11 00:00:49,520 --> 00:00:54,080 Speaker 1: his death. The three hosts had planned the murder of 12 00:00:54,160 --> 00:01:00,600 Speaker 1: their kinsmen perfectly, a theatrical assassination disguised as a friendly 13 00:01:00,800 --> 00:01:05,680 Speaker 1: family dinner which would serve as revenge for Sin's spanning 14 00:01:05,800 --> 00:01:10,480 Speaker 1: a generation. Uberto Maltesta's death at the hands of his 15 00:01:10,560 --> 00:01:15,360 Speaker 1: family members is a dramatic episode in a particularly bloody 16 00:01:15,440 --> 00:01:20,360 Speaker 1: era of Italian history, but not actually the topic of 17 00:01:20,600 --> 00:01:26,440 Speaker 1: today's episode. A few decades prior to that fateful family banquet, 18 00:01:26,840 --> 00:01:33,759 Speaker 1: Ramberto's father, a man named Jianchoto, actually killed Uberto's father. Remember, 19 00:01:33,959 --> 00:01:38,759 Speaker 1: Ramberto and Uberto were cousins, their fathers were brothers, and 20 00:01:38,880 --> 00:01:42,360 Speaker 1: Gianchoto discovered his brother having an affair. 21 00:01:42,160 --> 00:01:46,320 Speaker 2: With his wife. After catching them red handed, he killed 22 00:01:46,360 --> 00:01:52,000 Speaker 2: them both. The adulterous affair and subsequent murder of Jianchoto's 23 00:01:52,040 --> 00:01:55,840 Speaker 2: brother Paulo and his wife Francesca would go on to 24 00:01:55,880 --> 00:02:00,520 Speaker 2: be immortalized by the Italian writer Dante Aligiari as two 25 00:02:00,680 --> 00:02:04,560 Speaker 2: of the damned characters he meets during his visit to Hell. 26 00:02:05,240 --> 00:02:09,079 Speaker 2: But what Dante failed to record in his Inferno were 27 00:02:09,120 --> 00:02:15,680 Speaker 2: the numerous intra familial murders, political assassinations, revenge killings, and 28 00:02:15,800 --> 00:02:20,760 Speaker 2: even an attempted mass family murder that plagued the Maltesta 29 00:02:20,840 --> 00:02:27,040 Speaker 2: family for nearly fifty years after Paolo and Francesca's stories end. 30 00:02:27,919 --> 00:02:32,280 Speaker 2: So let's start from the beginning. I'm Dana Schwartz, and 31 00:02:32,600 --> 00:02:41,720 Speaker 2: this is noble blood. Paulo and Jianchoto Maltesta were meant 32 00:02:41,840 --> 00:02:45,840 Speaker 2: to carry on a great legacy. Theirs was a family 33 00:02:46,080 --> 00:02:50,320 Speaker 2: new to nobility, but their father's explosive rise to power 34 00:02:50,600 --> 00:02:55,560 Speaker 2: had quickly carried the brothers to prominence. Maltesta de Verruchio 35 00:02:55,960 --> 00:03:00,840 Speaker 2: was a powerful condottieri, or commander of a mercy and company. 36 00:03:01,360 --> 00:03:06,520 Speaker 2: Many condottieri became the sort of military princes who served 37 00:03:06,520 --> 00:03:10,440 Speaker 2: a pope or other ruler, but often had sovereignty of 38 00:03:10,600 --> 00:03:16,120 Speaker 2: their own as dukes or counts. Malitesta da Verrucchio had 39 00:03:16,240 --> 00:03:21,079 Speaker 2: come into his power ruthlessly. Northern Italy during this period 40 00:03:21,280 --> 00:03:25,200 Speaker 2: was embroiled in the after effects of the Investiture Controversy, 41 00:03:25,600 --> 00:03:31,120 Speaker 2: which resulted in conflicts between Pope supporting Gwelths and Holy 42 00:03:31,320 --> 00:03:36,680 Speaker 2: Roman Emperor supporting Ghibelines. Maltesta was the leader of the 43 00:03:36,840 --> 00:03:41,960 Speaker 2: Guelphs in Romagna and became podesta, or chief magistrate of 44 00:03:42,080 --> 00:03:47,280 Speaker 2: Rmany in twelve thirty nine. In twelve ninety five, he 45 00:03:47,320 --> 00:03:50,920 Speaker 2: would go on to kill or expel the leading members 46 00:03:50,960 --> 00:03:54,720 Speaker 2: of the Gibeline faction in Rumany, making himself the city's 47 00:03:54,880 --> 00:04:01,600 Speaker 2: undisputed and unchecked ruler. Between two marriages, he had seven children, 48 00:04:02,080 --> 00:04:04,920 Speaker 2: each of whom he would use to expand his power, 49 00:04:05,400 --> 00:04:10,240 Speaker 2: either through warfare or marriage. For our purposes, we'll focus 50 00:04:10,400 --> 00:04:16,159 Speaker 2: on his four sons, Mala, Testino, Jianchoto, and Paolo from 51 00:04:16,160 --> 00:04:20,799 Speaker 2: his first wife and Pandulfo from his second wife, Mala. 52 00:04:20,880 --> 00:04:25,200 Speaker 2: Testino and Pandulfo will be important in next week's episode, 53 00:04:25,320 --> 00:04:27,799 Speaker 2: but for now, all you really need to know about 54 00:04:27,839 --> 00:04:30,840 Speaker 2: them is that they would go on to inherit in 55 00:04:30,920 --> 00:04:36,640 Speaker 2: succession their father's lordship of Remedy. But for now we're 56 00:04:36,640 --> 00:04:41,479 Speaker 2: focused on the brothers, Paolo and Jianchoto. If anything in 57 00:04:41,560 --> 00:04:44,520 Speaker 2: their early lives pointed to the roots of Paolo and 58 00:04:44,600 --> 00:04:49,800 Speaker 2: Jianchoto's storied and eventually deadly rivalry, it would probably be 59 00:04:49,880 --> 00:04:52,760 Speaker 2: the fact that Paulo was known throughout his life as 60 00:04:53,040 --> 00:04:58,920 Speaker 2: Ilbello Paolo the Handsome. The name Jianchoto was actually a 61 00:04:59,080 --> 00:05:05,640 Speaker 2: diminutive of Giovanni, an emasculating nickname that Jianchoto still might 62 00:05:05,720 --> 00:05:10,640 Speaker 2: well have preferred to his other nickname, Los Gancato or 63 00:05:10,880 --> 00:05:15,000 Speaker 2: the Lame. Sources, many of which were written long after 64 00:05:15,040 --> 00:05:21,600 Speaker 2: the fact, describe Jianchoto variously as disabled, disfigured, or simply 65 00:05:21,800 --> 00:05:27,280 Speaker 2: visually unappealing, in any case, a stark contrast to his strapping, 66 00:05:27,720 --> 00:05:32,560 Speaker 2: handsome younger brother. The lives of the sons of Condotieri 67 00:05:32,880 --> 00:05:37,320 Speaker 2: were often defined by war and political intrigue, and Paolo 68 00:05:37,480 --> 00:05:42,920 Speaker 2: and Jianchoto were no exception. Apparently not content to rest 69 00:05:43,000 --> 00:05:46,800 Speaker 2: on his handsome laurels, Paolo showed himself to be an 70 00:05:46,920 --> 00:05:52,520 Speaker 2: astute politician, and he became an experienced military leader at 71 00:05:52,560 --> 00:05:56,560 Speaker 2: just nineteen years old. In twelve sixty five, he followed 72 00:05:56,560 --> 00:06:00,280 Speaker 2: his father in fighting the Gibelines, aiding in seven viveral 73 00:06:00,480 --> 00:06:05,120 Speaker 2: decisive battles. Johnchoto, too, proved to be an asset to 74 00:06:05,200 --> 00:06:08,640 Speaker 2: his father in war, becoming known as much for his 75 00:06:08,760 --> 00:06:15,080 Speaker 2: bravery as for his unsavory appearance. By around twelve seventy five, 76 00:06:15,440 --> 00:06:19,880 Speaker 2: John Choto also proved a useful political chess piece when 77 00:06:19,880 --> 00:06:23,680 Speaker 2: his father promised him in marriage to Francesca da Polenta. 78 00:06:24,640 --> 00:06:29,760 Speaker 2: Francesca was a young noblewoman from nearby Ravenna, the daughter 79 00:06:29,839 --> 00:06:33,800 Speaker 2: of one of its two lords, Guido the First da Polenta. 80 00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:38,680 Speaker 2: Wido shared power with his relative Wuido Riccio da Polenta 81 00:06:38,800 --> 00:06:43,520 Speaker 2: over Ravenna. Their balance of power was uneasy to begin with, 82 00:06:43,960 --> 00:06:47,000 Speaker 2: but they both also had to contend with the powerful 83 00:06:47,320 --> 00:06:51,680 Speaker 2: Traversari family opposing them within the city, as well as 84 00:06:51,800 --> 00:06:56,720 Speaker 2: various threats from without, most especially the Lord of Urbino. 85 00:06:56,800 --> 00:07:01,599 Speaker 2: Guido again, I'm sorry, another Guido the First da Montrefelto 86 00:07:02,320 --> 00:07:08,719 Speaker 2: Guido da Montefeltro had recently vested Maltesta de Verrucchio in battle. 87 00:07:09,320 --> 00:07:14,080 Speaker 2: Although Ravenna and Riminy had themselves been at war, Mala 88 00:07:14,120 --> 00:07:18,240 Speaker 2: Testa and Guido di Polenta were united by this common enemy, 89 00:07:18,680 --> 00:07:23,320 Speaker 2: and so Guido di Polenta's daughter Francesca became at once 90 00:07:23,440 --> 00:07:28,680 Speaker 2: a reward for Maltesta's support and a means of consolidating 91 00:07:28,880 --> 00:07:32,840 Speaker 2: power which would allow Guido de Polenta not only the 92 00:07:32,880 --> 00:07:36,600 Speaker 2: ability to fend off his enemies, but also to seize 93 00:07:36,800 --> 00:07:42,800 Speaker 2: sole control of Ravenna. Decades later, the humanist writer Giovanni 94 00:07:42,880 --> 00:07:47,840 Speaker 2: Boccaccio would write that Mala Testa de Verrocchio used Paulo 95 00:07:48,160 --> 00:07:53,840 Speaker 2: to trick Francesca into her marriage to Giancoto. By this time, 96 00:07:54,040 --> 00:07:57,720 Speaker 2: Paulo had actually already been married for some six years 97 00:07:57,760 --> 00:08:01,080 Speaker 2: and a political match of his own. It was not 98 00:08:01,360 --> 00:08:05,120 Speaker 2: uncommon in this period for noble marriages to be executed 99 00:08:05,280 --> 00:08:09,200 Speaker 2: by proxy, with someone else standing in for one or 100 00:08:09,400 --> 00:08:13,520 Speaker 2: both of the marrying parties during the ceremony. Paulo, as 101 00:08:13,600 --> 00:08:16,600 Speaker 2: the married brother of the groom, would have been a 102 00:08:16,680 --> 00:08:21,680 Speaker 2: perfect candidate to stand in and marry Francesca by proxy. 103 00:08:22,440 --> 00:08:28,800 Speaker 2: Boccaccio wrote that Mala Testa deliberately misled Francesca about this arrangement, 104 00:08:29,200 --> 00:08:31,760 Speaker 2: and that when she walked down the aisle and laid 105 00:08:31,800 --> 00:08:35,400 Speaker 2: her eyes on a handsome, charming man waiting at the 106 00:08:35,520 --> 00:08:38,320 Speaker 2: end of it, she thought it was Paolo that she 107 00:08:38,480 --> 00:08:42,720 Speaker 2: was going to marry. Of course, she was wrong. Boccaccio 108 00:08:42,800 --> 00:08:47,160 Speaker 2: reasoned that Malatesta worried that she or her father would 109 00:08:47,160 --> 00:08:50,920 Speaker 2: have refused the marriage had she known that her betrothed 110 00:08:51,200 --> 00:08:55,640 Speaker 2: was the uglier brother. As dramatic a tidbit, that is, 111 00:08:55,960 --> 00:08:59,080 Speaker 2: there is no hard evidence that this is how Paolo 112 00:08:59,160 --> 00:09:04,320 Speaker 2: and Francesca affair began. It's quite likely that Francesca already 113 00:09:04,400 --> 00:09:08,440 Speaker 2: knew who Paolo and Jianchoto were and knew that Paolo 114 00:09:08,679 --> 00:09:12,480 Speaker 2: was married as well, given her family's close and long 115 00:09:12,600 --> 00:09:17,840 Speaker 2: running dealings with the Malatesta family. But however, the marriage began, 116 00:09:18,040 --> 00:09:22,839 Speaker 2: and whatever Paolo's role in its beginnings were, before long, 117 00:09:23,080 --> 00:09:27,560 Speaker 2: Francesca and Paolo would find themselves entangled and an affair 118 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:32,560 Speaker 2: that would rock the Malatesta family and define its legacy 119 00:09:32,760 --> 00:09:38,880 Speaker 2: for centuries. The poet Dante Aligari spent the final five 120 00:09:38,960 --> 00:09:43,440 Speaker 2: years of his life living in Revenna. Famously exiled from 121 00:09:43,480 --> 00:09:46,920 Speaker 2: his native Florence in thirteen oh two, he had spent 122 00:09:47,080 --> 00:09:50,600 Speaker 2: over a decade living in various parts of northern Italy, 123 00:09:51,000 --> 00:09:56,040 Speaker 2: hosted by sympathetic friends and supporters. In thirteen sixteen, he 124 00:09:56,200 --> 00:09:59,960 Speaker 2: was invited to stay in Revenna by its recently crowned lawy, 125 00:10:00,600 --> 00:10:04,840 Speaker 2: Guido the second da Polenta. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, so 126 00:10:05,200 --> 00:10:09,840 Speaker 2: many Guidos. This Guido was the nephew of the now 127 00:10:10,080 --> 00:10:15,239 Speaker 2: decades dead Francesco dot Polenta. We're fast forwarding here. Scholars 128 00:10:15,320 --> 00:10:19,240 Speaker 2: believe it was during this visit to Ravenna that Dante 129 00:10:19,520 --> 00:10:24,040 Speaker 2: learned of the tragic tale of Paolo and Francesca's love affair, 130 00:10:24,440 --> 00:10:27,199 Speaker 2: before he would cement it in one of the most 131 00:10:27,240 --> 00:10:32,080 Speaker 2: celebrated works of literature in Italian history, The Divine Comedy, 132 00:10:32,480 --> 00:10:36,480 Speaker 2: completed shortly before the author's death in thirteen twenty one. 133 00:10:37,120 --> 00:10:40,000 Speaker 2: It's only because of Dante that we know any of 134 00:10:40,040 --> 00:10:44,840 Speaker 2: the details of what happened next in Paolo and Francesca's story. 135 00:10:45,840 --> 00:10:49,720 Speaker 2: Knowing that he likely learned the story from a family 136 00:10:49,760 --> 00:10:55,400 Speaker 2: member of Francesca's offers his version some credibility. However, remember 137 00:10:55,559 --> 00:10:59,599 Speaker 2: this was written decades later, and there is no independent 138 00:10:59,720 --> 00:11:03,560 Speaker 2: history record confirming any of it, so we will never 139 00:11:03,640 --> 00:11:10,240 Speaker 2: know exactly whether or where Dante took liberties. We find 140 00:11:10,400 --> 00:11:15,280 Speaker 2: Paolo and Francesca in Dante's Inferno as a pair of souls, 141 00:11:15,360 --> 00:11:20,400 Speaker 2: damned to hell for their illicit romance. As Dante and 142 00:11:20,480 --> 00:11:25,160 Speaker 2: his imagined guide, the Roman poet Virgil, entered the second 143 00:11:25,280 --> 00:11:28,320 Speaker 2: circle of Hell, the one reserved for those who fell 144 00:11:28,360 --> 00:11:32,600 Speaker 2: prey to their lust, they find the two lovers spirits 145 00:11:32,960 --> 00:11:37,800 Speaker 2: flying aimlessly through the air, blown about in an infernal storm, 146 00:11:38,240 --> 00:11:42,920 Speaker 2: yet remaining inseparably entangled with one another as if they 147 00:11:42,920 --> 00:11:47,000 Speaker 2: were one single spirit. Dante calls to them as they 148 00:11:47,040 --> 00:11:51,640 Speaker 2: float by, and it's Francesca who regales the visitors with 149 00:11:51,720 --> 00:11:56,479 Speaker 2: their tail as her beloved Paolo weeps and wails alongside 150 00:11:56,559 --> 00:12:00,920 Speaker 2: her as she tells it. Francesca's life love story with 151 00:12:01,000 --> 00:12:05,920 Speaker 2: her husband's brother started out innocently enough. They spent time 152 00:12:06,000 --> 00:12:09,800 Speaker 2: together in a friendly way, a pleasant outcome to her 153 00:12:09,960 --> 00:12:14,880 Speaker 2: essentially political marriage. Things took a turn rather suddenly, however, 154 00:12:15,240 --> 00:12:17,920 Speaker 2: when one day the pair were reading the story of 155 00:12:18,040 --> 00:12:22,160 Speaker 2: Lancelot and his forbidden love with Gwenevere, the story of 156 00:12:22,280 --> 00:12:27,640 Speaker 2: Lancelot's brother in arms, King Arthur, describing a scene that 157 00:12:27,760 --> 00:12:32,880 Speaker 2: seems to predict the modern rom com. Francesca's spirit tells 158 00:12:32,960 --> 00:12:38,079 Speaker 2: Dante how as they read, their eyes kept meeting, sparks 159 00:12:38,120 --> 00:12:42,680 Speaker 2: flying between them, before they looked away, blushing. Finally, as 160 00:12:42,720 --> 00:12:45,600 Speaker 2: the story they were reading came to its own climax, 161 00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:49,280 Speaker 2: the tension between the readers was too much to bear. 162 00:12:49,720 --> 00:12:53,439 Speaker 2: As Francesca put it, when of that smile we read 163 00:12:53,800 --> 00:12:57,520 Speaker 2: the wish to smile rapturously kissed by one so deep 164 00:12:57,559 --> 00:13:01,040 Speaker 2: in love than he who ne'er for me shall separate 165 00:13:01,520 --> 00:13:05,040 Speaker 2: at once, my lips, all trembling, kissed the book and 166 00:13:05,120 --> 00:13:09,200 Speaker 2: writer both were love's purveyors in its leaves. That day 167 00:13:09,600 --> 00:13:14,360 Speaker 2: we read no more. It's certainly possible that this is 168 00:13:14,559 --> 00:13:18,400 Speaker 2: actually how the affair began, although it definitely seems a 169 00:13:18,400 --> 00:13:22,920 Speaker 2: little too perfectly literary to be entirely true. We don't 170 00:13:22,960 --> 00:13:27,080 Speaker 2: even really know quite when it began, although it seems 171 00:13:27,080 --> 00:13:30,960 Speaker 2: to have been not long after Francesca's marriage to Gianchoto. 172 00:13:31,600 --> 00:13:35,480 Speaker 2: We also don't know the circumstances that preceded the affair. 173 00:13:36,200 --> 00:13:41,320 Speaker 2: Much has been said about Jianchoto's unsavory appearance, but did 174 00:13:41,440 --> 00:13:45,400 Speaker 2: Francesca feel that way about him. Was their marriage pleasant 175 00:13:45,480 --> 00:13:49,080 Speaker 2: but passionless? Or was he a brute? And what of 176 00:13:49,200 --> 00:13:54,000 Speaker 2: Paolo and his wife? Both couples had children. Of course, 177 00:13:54,040 --> 00:13:58,360 Speaker 2: we could question the paternity of Francesca's children, but certainly 178 00:13:58,440 --> 00:14:02,040 Speaker 2: Paolo at least fulfilled his marital duties to his wife. 179 00:14:02,480 --> 00:14:05,920 Speaker 2: We may never know these things, but however it happened. 180 00:14:06,040 --> 00:14:10,640 Speaker 2: Once the affair began, It seems that Paulo and Francesca, 181 00:14:11,080 --> 00:14:15,320 Speaker 2: much like their spirits in Dante's story, could hardly be 182 00:14:15,480 --> 00:14:20,920 Speaker 2: separated from one another. The affair carried on seemingly unbeknownst 183 00:14:21,040 --> 00:14:26,080 Speaker 2: to everyone, or at least unbeknownst to Jianchoto, for years, 184 00:14:26,640 --> 00:14:30,360 Speaker 2: some scholars estimate over a decade, although it's impossible to 185 00:14:30,440 --> 00:14:34,920 Speaker 2: know for sure. We can imagine Janchoto carrying on in 186 00:14:35,000 --> 00:14:38,960 Speaker 2: his duties, perhaps leaving for long stretches to fight on 187 00:14:39,040 --> 00:14:42,720 Speaker 2: his father's behalf, leaving his wife at home and free 188 00:14:42,760 --> 00:14:47,280 Speaker 2: to rendezvous with his more handsome brother. For his part, 189 00:14:47,520 --> 00:14:52,000 Speaker 2: Paulo balanced his own duties, including keeping up appearances with 190 00:14:52,120 --> 00:14:57,280 Speaker 2: his own wife, with his and Francesca's passionate affair. However, 191 00:14:57,320 --> 00:15:00,720 Speaker 2: they managed it. It worked for them for a while, 192 00:15:01,320 --> 00:15:07,280 Speaker 2: but Francesca's and Paolo's days together were numbered. Eventually, Jianchoto 193 00:15:07,400 --> 00:15:10,880 Speaker 2: would discover the dual betrayal that had been going on 194 00:15:11,080 --> 00:15:16,960 Speaker 2: for years right under his nose. We don't really know 195 00:15:17,120 --> 00:15:22,080 Speaker 2: how Janchoto found out. Most retellings agree that he stumbled 196 00:15:22,160 --> 00:15:25,920 Speaker 2: upon his brothers and his wife's affair some time between 197 00:15:25,920 --> 00:15:30,520 Speaker 2: twelve eighty three and twelve eighty six. Some even say 198 00:15:30,560 --> 00:15:34,240 Speaker 2: he caught them in the act. Dante doesn't offer us 199 00:15:34,280 --> 00:15:38,800 Speaker 2: any details here. Again, the juiciest version of the story, 200 00:15:39,000 --> 00:15:42,840 Speaker 2: and the one we can't confirm, is offered by Boccaccio. 201 00:15:43,360 --> 00:15:47,760 Speaker 2: As he told it, Jianchoto suspected nothing until one day, 202 00:15:47,840 --> 00:15:50,880 Speaker 2: while he was away on business for his father, one 203 00:15:50,880 --> 00:15:54,960 Speaker 2: of his servants came to him with a confession. The servant, 204 00:15:55,120 --> 00:15:59,800 Speaker 2: apparently moved by pity for his cucoldooed employer and emboldened 205 00:15:59,840 --> 00:16:03,760 Speaker 2: by distance from the rest of the household, told Janchoto 206 00:16:03,880 --> 00:16:07,280 Speaker 2: that he knew his wife and brother were having an affair. 207 00:16:08,080 --> 00:16:11,280 Speaker 2: Determined to get at the truth of the matter, Jianchoto 208 00:16:11,400 --> 00:16:15,600 Speaker 2: insisted upon seeing for himself, and the servant promised he 209 00:16:15,600 --> 00:16:19,200 Speaker 2: would help catch them in the act. The pair returned 210 00:16:19,280 --> 00:16:23,800 Speaker 2: to rhyminy in secret. Perhaps Jianchoto hoped he would find nothing. 211 00:16:24,120 --> 00:16:27,880 Speaker 2: Perhaps he spent the ride home imagining how silly he 212 00:16:27,920 --> 00:16:31,080 Speaker 2: would feel when he arrived to find his faithful wife 213 00:16:31,240 --> 00:16:34,680 Speaker 2: waiting for him. But any hopes he may have harbored 214 00:16:34,720 --> 00:16:38,160 Speaker 2: about his wife's fidelity were dashed when he got home 215 00:16:38,240 --> 00:16:45,120 Speaker 2: and sneaking into his own palazzo, observed Paolo entering Francesca's bedchamber. 216 00:16:45,640 --> 00:16:52,440 Speaker 2: The affair was all but confirmed. Jianchoto was enraged. His 217 00:16:52,600 --> 00:16:55,760 Speaker 2: loyal servant led him to the door of the bedchamber, 218 00:16:56,120 --> 00:17:01,040 Speaker 2: only to find it suspiciously locked from the inside. Janchoto's 219 00:17:01,080 --> 00:17:04,520 Speaker 2: fever hit a fever pitch. He pounded on the door, 220 00:17:04,840 --> 00:17:08,120 Speaker 2: calling out to his wife, maybe calling to his brother too. 221 00:17:08,720 --> 00:17:12,160 Speaker 2: On the other side of the door. Chaos and panic erupted. 222 00:17:12,560 --> 00:17:15,560 Speaker 2: Francesca and Paolo knew they had been found out, but 223 00:17:15,600 --> 00:17:18,360 Speaker 2: they were scrambling to find some way to cover up 224 00:17:18,400 --> 00:17:22,680 Speaker 2: their affair. Suddenly, Paolo had an idea. There was a 225 00:17:22,760 --> 00:17:26,040 Speaker 2: narrow passage with a ladder leading from the bed chamber 226 00:17:26,160 --> 00:17:30,159 Speaker 2: down to another room below. If he squeezed down it, 227 00:17:30,640 --> 00:17:33,640 Speaker 2: he might be able to get away before anyone noticed. 228 00:17:34,080 --> 00:17:37,240 Speaker 2: He told Francesca to let her husband in. He would 229 00:17:37,359 --> 00:17:42,480 Speaker 2: escape through the passage and Jianchoto would be none the wiser. Unfortunately, 230 00:17:42,600 --> 00:17:46,000 Speaker 2: as Francesco went to open the door and Paolo went 231 00:17:46,119 --> 00:17:49,880 Speaker 2: to hide his clothes, got caught on an iron bar 232 00:17:50,400 --> 00:17:52,840 Speaker 2: sticking out of one of the wooden beams at the 233 00:17:52,880 --> 00:17:56,480 Speaker 2: top of the passage. He got stuck in plain sight 234 00:17:57,240 --> 00:18:01,800 Speaker 2: just as Janchoto burst into the room. Blinded by rage 235 00:18:01,840 --> 00:18:05,679 Speaker 2: at the sight of his brother, Johanchoto immediately went for 236 00:18:05,760 --> 00:18:10,520 Speaker 2: the kill. Francesca moved to stop her husband, unable to 237 00:18:10,560 --> 00:18:13,199 Speaker 2: bear the thought of losing her love, but it was 238 00:18:13,240 --> 00:18:17,439 Speaker 2: too late. Right as she stood between them, Johanchoto thrust 239 00:18:17,520 --> 00:18:21,440 Speaker 2: his sword forward, stabbing her in the chest instead of Paulo. 240 00:18:22,119 --> 00:18:26,040 Speaker 2: Francesca sank to the floor, dying for a moment. John 241 00:18:26,119 --> 00:18:30,160 Speaker 2: Choto stood frozen, disturbed at what he had done. Then 242 00:18:30,200 --> 00:18:34,520 Speaker 2: he saw Paulo, still caught on the iron bar, crying 243 00:18:34,560 --> 00:18:39,639 Speaker 2: out in grief for Francesca, for his wife. He saw 244 00:18:39,720 --> 00:18:43,720 Speaker 2: how deeply his own brother had loved Francesca, and it 245 00:18:43,840 --> 00:18:47,680 Speaker 2: quelled any thought he might have had of regret or 246 00:18:47,760 --> 00:18:52,080 Speaker 2: of mercy. Jianchoto pulled the sword from his dying wife's 247 00:18:52,160 --> 00:18:55,760 Speaker 2: body and struck out again, this time landing a blow 248 00:18:55,880 --> 00:19:00,399 Speaker 2: squarely on his brother's head. His vengeance complete, he fled, 249 00:19:01,000 --> 00:19:04,320 Speaker 2: sneaking out of the city quietly as he had arrived. 250 00:19:04,760 --> 00:19:09,080 Speaker 2: The lovers' bodies were discovered the next day, and Boccaccio 251 00:19:09,200 --> 00:19:14,560 Speaker 2: tells us buried in a shared tomb, united eternally in 252 00:19:14,640 --> 00:19:20,600 Speaker 2: both their love and their betrayal. Is that how it happened? 253 00:19:21,119 --> 00:19:25,000 Speaker 2: Boccaccio's version of the story certainly has a theatrical air 254 00:19:25,080 --> 00:19:28,800 Speaker 2: to it, though we can find many verified stories of 255 00:19:28,880 --> 00:19:32,359 Speaker 2: affairs gone wrong throughout history that have all of this 256 00:19:32,480 --> 00:19:36,840 Speaker 2: drama and then some. Dante gives us the basic contours 257 00:19:36,880 --> 00:19:42,320 Speaker 2: of the story and points to Jianchoto's guilt in the inferno. 258 00:19:42,680 --> 00:19:46,280 Speaker 2: Jianchoto was said to be condemned to the ninth Circle 259 00:19:46,359 --> 00:19:51,439 Speaker 2: of Hell, the lowest circle reserved for traders. Given his 260 00:19:51,600 --> 00:19:55,800 Speaker 2: access to the family, we can reasonably expect the basic 261 00:19:56,000 --> 00:20:01,840 Speaker 2: facts of Dante's version to be true. Discovered them, Jianchoto 262 00:20:02,080 --> 00:20:05,600 Speaker 2: killed them, but for the rest were left to fill 263 00:20:05,720 --> 00:20:10,159 Speaker 2: in the blanks. However it happened. The bloody murder of 264 00:20:10,200 --> 00:20:15,240 Speaker 2: Paolo and Francesca did little to soothe the growing rivalries 265 00:20:15,359 --> 00:20:20,199 Speaker 2: among the members of the Maltesta family. Maltesta de Verruchio 266 00:20:20,680 --> 00:20:25,760 Speaker 2: had many children, who themselves had many children, and when 267 00:20:25,840 --> 00:20:29,639 Speaker 2: he died in thirteen twelve, they were all left with 268 00:20:29,760 --> 00:20:33,960 Speaker 2: the fractured inheritance of the lands and titles that their 269 00:20:34,000 --> 00:20:38,159 Speaker 2: patriarch had once held as his own. And as the 270 00:20:38,280 --> 00:20:42,239 Speaker 2: children of Paolo Jianchoto and their brothers grew up and 271 00:20:42,400 --> 00:20:46,360 Speaker 2: realized that only one of them would eventually rule Remedy, 272 00:20:46,800 --> 00:20:50,760 Speaker 2: it wouldn't be long before the kinsmen turned on each 273 00:20:50,840 --> 00:20:55,440 Speaker 2: other again. That's the end of the story of the 274 00:20:55,440 --> 00:20:59,560 Speaker 2: first and most famous of the many murders plaguing the 275 00:20:59,600 --> 00:21:04,000 Speaker 2: Malato family. But keep listening after a brief sponsor break 276 00:21:04,359 --> 00:21:09,280 Speaker 2: to hear about the long legacy of Paolo and Francesca's story. 277 00:21:15,320 --> 00:21:18,639 Speaker 2: For Dante, the story of Paolo and Francesca was a 278 00:21:18,640 --> 00:21:22,439 Speaker 2: cautionary tale. He lived in a world where adultery was 279 00:21:22,480 --> 00:21:26,399 Speaker 2: a crime punishable by death, and where desire was seen 280 00:21:26,440 --> 00:21:30,359 Speaker 2: by many as the first step to damnation. As he 281 00:21:30,400 --> 00:21:35,119 Speaker 2: imagined his journey through hell, he found Francesca and Paolo's 282 00:21:35,160 --> 00:21:39,840 Speaker 2: story a powerful warning to his readers about the dangers 283 00:21:39,880 --> 00:21:43,920 Speaker 2: of giving in to one's passions, even as he sympathized 284 00:21:43,960 --> 00:21:48,720 Speaker 2: with their love. As with any story that endures over time, however, 285 00:21:49,200 --> 00:21:54,440 Speaker 2: Paolo and Francesca's story has continued to resonate, but not 286 00:21:54,520 --> 00:21:59,280 Speaker 2: necessarily for the reasons that Dante intended. Particularly in the 287 00:21:59,400 --> 00:22:03,960 Speaker 2: nineteenth century, Francesca and her lover became a focus for 288 00:22:04,080 --> 00:22:09,760 Speaker 2: the imaginations of Romantic writers and artists. As historian John 289 00:22:09,800 --> 00:22:13,639 Speaker 2: Paul Hyle puts it, where in Dante's era it was 290 00:22:13,720 --> 00:22:19,000 Speaker 2: important to control one's passions, the Romantics believed that quote 291 00:22:19,200 --> 00:22:22,919 Speaker 2: subsuming reason to the passions was the goal of a 292 00:22:22,960 --> 00:22:28,399 Speaker 2: life well lived. They began to reimagine Dante's encounter with 293 00:22:28,520 --> 00:22:32,600 Speaker 2: Paolo and Francesca in Hell no longer as symbols of 294 00:22:32,640 --> 00:22:36,400 Speaker 2: the danger of succumbing to one's passions, but rather the 295 00:22:36,480 --> 00:22:42,520 Speaker 2: tragedy of star crossed lovers. Some interpretations even changed the 296 00:22:42,640 --> 00:22:47,520 Speaker 2: endings of their story. In one opera, Ambrose Thomas's eighteen 297 00:22:47,640 --> 00:22:52,240 Speaker 2: eighty two Francois de Rimini, the lovers are pitied by 298 00:22:52,320 --> 00:22:57,400 Speaker 2: God and their spirits allowed to ascend to Heaven, triumphing 299 00:22:57,600 --> 00:23:01,040 Speaker 2: over the punishment needed out to them in Hell and 300 00:23:01,119 --> 00:23:06,120 Speaker 2: in our world by Dante. In the twentieth century, Francesca 301 00:23:06,119 --> 00:23:11,000 Speaker 2: in particular, became a symbol for yet something else female 302 00:23:11,080 --> 00:23:14,880 Speaker 2: agency as a character who not only made her own 303 00:23:15,119 --> 00:23:18,720 Speaker 2: choices in life, disastrous as the outcome may have been, 304 00:23:19,080 --> 00:23:22,520 Speaker 2: but also took control of her own story in death. 305 00:23:22,960 --> 00:23:27,600 Speaker 2: She presents a striking and complex lens through which authors 306 00:23:27,640 --> 00:23:33,800 Speaker 2: and artists have wrestled with memory, pain, betrayal, and yes love. 307 00:23:40,200 --> 00:23:44,040 Speaker 2: Noble Blood is a production of iHeartRadio and Grim and 308 00:23:44,119 --> 00:23:47,680 Speaker 2: Mild from Aaron Mankey. Noble Blood is hosted by me 309 00:23:47,960 --> 00:23:53,160 Speaker 2: Dana Schwartz, with additional writing and research by Hannah Johnston, Hannaswick, 310 00:23:53,320 --> 00:23:57,479 Speaker 2: Courtney Sender, Amy Hit and Julia Melaney. The show is 311 00:23:57,640 --> 00:24:02,640 Speaker 2: edited and produced by Jesse Funk, with supervising producer rima 312 00:24:02,760 --> 00:24:07,240 Speaker 2: Il Kayali and executive producers Aaron Manke, Trevor Young, and 313 00:24:07,320 --> 00:24:12,840 Speaker 2: Matt Frederick. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, 314 00:24:13,119 --> 00:24:18,360 Speaker 2: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.